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SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Football) – The 2015 season kicks off Saturday, Sept. 5 when Texas A&M University-Kingsville heads to the University of the Incarnate Word for a 2 p.m. contest at Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium.
 
The Javelinas are 3-0 versus the Cardinals and 2-0 in the 6,000-seat stadium. Saturday's season opener is Kingsville's first game under head coach Daren Wilkinson, who became the 11^th head coach and 10^th full-time leader of the football program in December 2014.
 
THE GAME
- Texas A&M-Kingsville (0-0, 0-0 LSC) at Incarnate Word (0-0, 0-0 SLC)
- Saturday, Sept. 5, 2 p.m. CT, Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium (6,000)
- Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/incarnateword/football/
- Video: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/uiw/
- Radio: KSIX 1230 AM, 96.1 FM, 103.3 FM, KTAI 91.1 FM and www.SportsRadioCC.com; Bob Pena (play-by-play) and Alan Harwell (color) bring the call on the Javelina Sports Radio Network
- Social Media: Follow @JavelinaFB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter and Instagram, like www.Facebook.com/JavelinaSports.com page on Facebook and search JavelinaSTRONG and LSCfb for conversation and information
- Game Notes (PDF): http://javelinaathletics.com/sports/2013/11/7/FB_1107131507.aspx?path=football
 
SEASON OPENER
Dating back to 2009, the Javelinas are 5-1 in season openers, with the lone loss coming last season versus Humboldt State University. In that span, the Hogs went a perfect 3-0 when beginning the season on the road with wins over Northwest (16-7 in 2010) and No. 22 Central Washington (21-10 in 2011) and again at CWU in 2013 (21-14).

ALL-TIME SERIES MEETINGS
Overall: 3-0 | 2-0 away
First Meeting: Sept. 25, 2010 (San Antonio) – TAMUK def. UIW, 37-9
Last Meeting: Oct. 13, 2012 (Kingsville) – TAMUK def. UIW, 20-17 

IT'S A FIRST
Saturday is the first time the two will meet since the Cardinals left the Lone Star Conference and became a member of the Southland Conference, an FCS conference.

TAMUK VS. DI PROGRAMS
All-time against Division I opponents, Texas A&M-Kingsville is 29-19. The most wins are 11 against Texas Southern of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Javelinas also have victories over Hawaii, Idaho State, Lamar, Nevada, Nicholls State, Northern Arizona, Prairie View A&M, Texas State and UTEP. All records are from 1973 onward when the NCAA went to numerical divisions.

Newcomers Galore
The 2015 Javelinas will feature 53 new players that have never set foot on campus prior to preseason camp. The newcomers comprise 48.2% of the 110-man roster. With so many new faces, nearly every starting position was up for grabs when camp started.

New Look Defense
Excluding the return of Jaime Martinez and James Jefferson, nearly an entire new coaching staff will roam the sidelines this season. Defensively, the Javelinas will run a 3-4 base defense in 2015. The defensive coaching staff installed the new scheme at a slow methodical pace to help avoid "paralysis by analyses." Defensive coordinator David Brown II is joined by defensive lines coach Ronnie Palmer, defensive backs coach and Javelina Hall of Famer James Jefferson and linebackers coach Kevin May.
 
Returning starters Braedon Robinson (4.5 sacks), AA Vaaulu (12 tackles, two quarterback hurries) and Kelechi Amushie (11 starts, one interception) as are All-LSC honorable mention selection Trevor Moses (81 tackles) and 2014 regulars Lamont Hills (52 tackles), Joe Crowe (six pass breakups), Gayln Griffin Jr., Alex Kuyinu, Will Juarez, Emond Hobbs and ZeMarcus Green. Forrest Jones started seven of his 10 games in 2013 and he rejoins the team after sitting out the 2014 campaign.
 
Offensive Returners
Texas A&M-Kingsville returns veteran linemen Christian Garcia, Aundra Long and Bo Villarreal, running backs Shawn Vasquez, Joe Te'o and Greg Pitre. Wide receiver Jordan Thomas partners with Anthony Autry, a redshirt junior transfer, and the quarterback will be a game time decision between Myles Carr and Stevie Joe Dorman.
 
Jordan Thomas led the team in receiving with 41 catches, 547 yards and three touchdowns. The second leading returning catching the pigskin is running back Greg Pitre at 6.4 yards/game.
 
The strong point for the Javelinas is in the backfield. Along with Pitre (287 yds/1 TD), fellow running backs Shawn Vasquez (585 yds/5 TD) and Joe Te'o (270 yds/4 TD) will hit the field again this year.
 
Special Team Returners
Returning from last year among the special teams players is kicker Max Lehnig, who connected on 25-of-27 extra-point attempts.
 
While Lehnig also handled punting duties last season (57 punts, 34.9 avg), Tristan Hernandez is going to see action after sitting out the 2014 campaign. He was a 2014 LSC Fall Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient.
 
Joe Crowe, listed as the No. 2 kick and punt returner, returned 17 kickoffs last season for 348 yards and an average of 20.5. His longest was 46 at Tarleton State.
 
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
A sensational 2013 season as a true freshman, Trent Brittain set the school's passing yards mark with 1,893 yards and 11 touchdowns. He missed most of 2014 after being sidelined with an injury following 11 plays and he will be the starting quarterback for UIW.
 
Preseason All-Southland Conference and USA College Football FCS Preseason American Football Networks All-American selection Corey Lee (defensive lineman) set the school record with 14.5 tackles for a loss and added five sacks and 39 tackles. Fellow All-SLC preseason pick, tight end Cole Wick, finished with 20 receptions and 350 receiving yards in 2014.
 
Incarnate Word went 2-9 overall and 2-6 in conference action last season.
 
For full coverage of Texas A&M-Kingsville football, please follow @JavelinaFB on Twitter and Instagram, like the official Facebook page of Javelina athletics (/JavelinaSports), and subscribe to the JavelinaAthletics YouTube channel.